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I got in an argument with my mom yesterday because she claims that by running a mile on a treadmill she is doing more work than me, who runs a mile on a track. I am 100% sure this is totally inaccurate and false, and I wish to prove her wrong. I will be showing her the culmination of all the answers I receive here, so I am asking all you professionals and fitness gurus to explain whether running 1 mile on a treadmill is harder than on track. Thanks~
Ha. Well I don't think its really worthy of an argument, but I get your point. I believe that track running is harder than treadmill. I do both. The reason is that treamills have the ground literally moving for you. Also, unless you put your grade to 1% you are actually running DOWNHILL on the treadmill. 1% more accurately mimics the ground outside. For track running you are moving the ground past you, engaging more leg muscles, you also have to compensate for turning, engaging even more leg muscles. The only reason I'd ever see treadmill as harder is that its soooo hecka boring it does take more work just to stay on the darn thing.
hmm, I've run on both before (though i'm a slow runner, really slow) I'd say the track is much harder and I get much more of a workout from it. I agree with sparrow that the ground pretty much moves instead of you moving on a treadmill. I tihnk treadmill seems easier to me simply because I can't pace myself when I'm just running on the ground.
on track you have to use your muscles to pull your legs back, which drives your body forward, on the treadmil the mill pulls your legs back for you, you just have to bring them forward again.
Ah, the mother/child relationship. My mom has also got to be doing more/better/harder than me, too. I bet you didn't even know you were competing with her until she brought it up. ; )
ok, If you run on a track you get the added workout of air/wind resistance. At slow rates of speed this isn't much of an additional workout at all, but if you are hauling it could have a palpable effect.
But to be really honest, I would guess that any overall difference between the track and a treadmill is negliable, unless the treadmill is set on an incline, or unless you are running at difference rates of speed, intensities and/or distances, and really , it depends on your goals. If she is running to gain speed, but you are running to lose weight, you are both doing completely different workouts.
My recommendation is to sign up for a local 5k (make sure you get chipped timed so the winner will have proof to show at every family gathering for the rest of your lives). : D
Actually I agree with you. I have done both and for some strange reason I struggle a lot on a treadmill. I can run for 10 miles on the road and still feel okay but even running 2 miles on a treadmill leaves me winded.
Treadmills are softer and cushion your impact more than running outside, which leads to less of an impact. Less of an impact leads to less bone growth.
You don't have to break the wind on a treadmill (no lewd jokes, please!) where you do when you are outside.
You generally don't have to spend as much time thinking about how to keep yourself from getting hurt outside quite as much as you do on a treadmill.
You also want to be sure to use a 1-2% grade on a treadmill to avoid hyperextending your back and injuring yourself, which is much more difficult to do outside.
Despite all of that, treadmills are tougher than running on a track. Treadmills are boring; I rarely do more than a mile or so at a time on one and it is torture any time that I do. I'd rather go outside no matter what the weather.
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